Home / THE RULES

The following rules will apply to riders attempting their own Everesting. If in doubt, refer to rule #5.

If you are planning a virtual (or ‘vEveresting’) please head here for a specific rule set. Please note a new rule on vEverestings: to qualify, you must have first completed at least one Everesting or High Rouleur’s ride.

RULES ABOUT THE RIDE ROUTE
– Rides can be of any length, and on any hill or mountain.

– Rides must only focus on one hill or mountain per ride (e.g. you can’t base yourself in one location and ride multiple hills). You cannot ride different routes on the same mountain. If there are 4 routes, that means there are 4 possible ‘everestings’ (think of it like the North and South face of Everest).

– If you are planning a multiple everesting (double, triple, or beyond) then you can complete it all on one climb, or use a different climb for each ‘everesting’. You have two options with the order if using different climbs. Option 1 is to complete each everesting climb, and then move to the next. Option 2 is to select a hill with a finish at the top, and ride each side until both sides individually come to 8,848m. You can’t use a valley with a hill either side, to avoid kinetic gain. This hill is ok: /\ this is not: \/

– Rides cannot be loops. The descent must be via the same road unless you are prevented from doing so (e.g. one-way street or one-way trail). This is to prevent kinetic gain sometimes afforded by a loop, or an ‘easier’ descent.

– Rides must be full ascents each time (Strava segments or the accepted ‘traditional’ climbing route will generally be the best guide for this. You can’t commit to a combination of full and half laps). Acceptable is a shorter segment of a climb if it is recognised in its own right. If in doubt, ask.

– The 8,848m is taken as your total elevation gain. If your descent includes a bit of climbing this still counts toward your total. Keep in mind that this is a climbing challenge, and routes with ‘kinetic gain’ should be checked via the everesting calculator first. The calculator has a built-in ‘check’ on descent elevation gain. You’ll know yourself from riding it in real life whether your chosen segment has a gain on the descent. We want to avoid ‘free metres’ where possible. A ‘rule of thumb’ should be applied when looking at a route with elevation gain on a descent or kinetic gain. If it feels like you are gaming the system, then you probably are! Ask us first if in doubt (it’s never nice explaining this afterwards).

– You may decide to push on past 8,848m to get to 10,000m, in which case your ride will also qualify for inclusion in the High Rouleur’s Society (see the details here). It’s a two-for-one deal!

– Take caution when calculating your reps/laps based on Strava segments, as these only show ‘elevation difference’ and not ‘elevation gain’ (i.e. if your climb has a few descents you want to ensure you are calculating laps based on the total elevation gain, and not simply the difference between the base and summit). It is strongly suggested that you check the listed elevation gain against your own recording.

– It is our strong recommendation that on the day you ride to a pre-determined amount of reps/laps, as opposed to the figure on your bike computer, particularly on a day of weather changes. The purest and most accurate method of climbing 8,848m will always be to divide 8,848m by the amount of elevation on your carefully selected segment to give you the laps required.

– A great resource to help calculate your laps, work out approximate times, and any elevation gain on the descent is The Everesting Calculator. It’s not gospel, but it’s a pretty handy tool.

– It does not matter how long the ride takes, but it must be ridden in one attempt (i.e. no sleeping in between). Breaks for meals etc. are fine. You can break for as long or as little as you like. Bear in mind break times add up quickly, and can add significantly to your elapsed time.

– An exception to the no-sleep requirement is if you are completing multiple everestings in one activity. In this instance the first everesting must still be completed with no sleep, however an allowance for up to 2 hours for each ‘subsequent’ everesting exists. This 2 hour allowance is a total, so it can be taken as 1x 2hr sleep, 2x 1hr sleeps, 4x 30min sleeps etc. We will respect your integrity, and trust you on the use of this time. Please don’t break that trust! This allowance is to reduce the impact of sleep deprivation and ensure that you get back down off the mountain safely. As with single everesting attempts please ensure that you have support on hand to assist in making an independent judgement call on your fatigue levels.

– Each repeat must be ridden up and down (i.e. you can’t get driven down each time). You also need to keep your device recording the whole time.

– The ride does not have to be ridden on sealed roads. In fact you get bonus kudos and cafe-respect for hitting the vitamin G.

– The first Everesting ride for each climb will be signified by ‘First’ on the hall of fame (or First* if you everested at the same time as more than one other rider). Copied a ride that someone else has done? It absolutely still counts in the hall of fame. Everesting is tough whichever way you look at it, although in the spirit of adventure why not seek something uncharted and stamp your name on the side of it?

– Interested in Everesting as a group for a first known ascent? That’s fine, and so long as you are not finishing hours and hours apart we’ll include all riders in the Hall of Fame with an asterisk to signify the group attempt.

– Rides can be added retrospectively, however they must be able to be correctly verified in order to qualify. If it turns out someone was before you, then they were before you. Simple.

– No section of the ride can be walked. This is a cycling challenge. Sheesh.

– We don’t want you to take this challenge lying down, and mechanical doping is a no-no (obviously). Acceptable bikes: Road, MTB, CX, Track, BMX. Not acceptable: Electric and recumbent. If in doubt email info@hells500.com

RECORDING THE RIDE
– Our preference is for the ride to be recorded with a dedicated GPS device which has an altimeter or barometer (i.e. not a Garmin Forerunner). If you absolutely positively must use a phone or non-barometric device then please keep in mind these rides receive special scrutiny to ensure the 8,848m target was reached. We know why, and you know why. You will need to verify the height gained by the number of repeats of the segment climbed.

– In the event that barometric pressure affects the height recorded leave the ride in the original state and we can verify the height by the repeats of the segment that has been climbed.

– We suggest you take pictures of your stats throughout the ride. History has shown that data can fail, either on the bike or in the upload. Data is important, but we understand shit happens. So long as you can sufficiently prove the ride we’ll accept it. We’ll decide on a case-by-case basis and may include the requirement to ‘pinky swear’.

– Batteries have a tendency to die after around 15 hours of recording. A portable battery pack is a cheap solution for charging on the fly. Please note that units such as the Garmin Edge 500 will reset if plugged in mid-ride. Not cool. The workaround is to find an OTG (On The Go) micro USB cable (look it up, they only cost a few bucks). This cable has a pin removed which ‘tricks’ the unit into ‘thinking’ that it isn’t actually plugged in. Test it beforehand, but trust us – it works. Also good for charging your phone on alternate laps (#protips).

STRAVA
– All rides must be publicly verifiable via Strava (i.e not set to private).

– Once the 8,848m is complete the current lap can be abandoned or completed at the rider’s discretion. The ride must be more than 8,848m on Strava so use a little bit of common sense and log some extra vertical metres just to be safe.

THE NITTY-GRITTY
– Riders take full responsibility for taking on an Everesting attempt. The excuse “you told me to” won’t stick. Talk it through with your mates and family. They are generally a pretty good judge of whether a 20% urban street known for doorings is the right choice. Listen to your mum.

– Nothing is more important than getting back home. Remember, you are not playing for farms here, it’s about the beauty of going for a ride.

– As with any outdoor activity there are elements both in and out of your control. It is up to you to monitor both to ensure you remain safe at all times.

– Organise a support crew to join you on the day. They will be the best judge of your state, and their advice needs to be taken seriously. If they think it’s time to pull the pin they are only suggesting this with your best interests in mind.

– Tell someone your plans before you go, and check in regularly.

– Your consideration of this challenge means that you are going to explore the limits of what your body is capable of. Know your limits, know the signs of breakdown, and be prepared to walk away.

– If you are under 18 years old, get a parent or guardian’s approval first.

– If you are riding solo check in along the way. You can have people track your progress via the #everesting hashtag

– We don’t encourage fastest times, but if it is a motivator consider reducing your break times rather than trying to make up time on a descent. Please descend carefully, and remember you will be more fatigued than usual.